27 August 2015

Former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's death in March was followed by a week of national mourning during which national television and the mainstream newspapers focused on his contributions to Singapore, and showed scenes of the public paying their respects to him and the state funeral.

Even after the state funeral, the mainstream newspapers continued to remind us of Mr Lee's contributions with various articles (some of which were published before the state funeral).

25 August 2015

The People's Action Party has unveiled a number of candidates whom it will field in GE 2015.

Some of them have seemingly impeccable credentials. Like Ng Chee Meng and Melvin Yong.

Mr Ng was Chief of Defence in the SAF until his retirement earlier this month. He held the rank of lieutenant-general. He will be contesting GE 2015 in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, which is anchored by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.

Mr Yong was an assistant commissioner of police. He will be contesting GE 2015 in Tanjong Pagar GRC, which is anchored by Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing.

21 August 2015

National Solidarity Party's decision to contest GE 2015 in MacPherson SMC came as a surprise.

NSP's central executive committee had previously decided to leave it to The Workers' Party to fight the ruling People's Action Party in MacPherson SMC.

NSP President Sebastian Teo said that
he initially thought that NSP should avoid three-cornered fights and should not contest in
MacPherson. However, it changed its position on MacPherson after lengthy deliberations because it wanted to "keep faith with [its] supporters" and CEC member Steve Chia requested to contest there. In recent weeks, it seems that NSP leaders
had received feedback and pledges of support from many
residents in MacPherson.

20 August 2015

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam told Parliament on Monday that the Auditor-General's Office gave an unmodified audit opinion on the Government's financial statements and it meant that the financial accounts of all the government departments were reliable and public funds were properly accounted for[1].Maybe, but maybe not.

19 August 2015

National Solidarity Party's former Secretary-General Tan Lam Siong has expressed his interest in contesting GE 2015 in Potong Pasir SMC as an independent.

Potong Pasir SMC is currently held by People's Action Party's Sitoh Yih Pin, who narrowly wrested it with 7,992 votes from Singapore Progressive Party's Lina Chiam (Loh Woon Lee Lina) who had 7,878 votes in GE 2011. His winning margin of 114 votes was less than the 242 rejected votes (as announced on polling day).

14 August 2015

When the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee recommended that Moulmein-Kallang GRC be dissolved and absorbed by neighbouring GRCs, some people wondered whether it had anything to do with the fact that Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew is one of Moulmein-Kallang GRC's Members of Parliament.

The transport portfolio is one of the hottest political portfolios, as the public remains dissatisfied with the state of the public transport.

But dissolving Moulmein-Kallang GRC doesn't solve anything because Mr Lui has to stand in another GRC or SMC, and dissatisfaction with public transport will likely follow Mr Lui wherever he goes.

Besides, the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee is supposed to be politically neutral.

03 August 2015

When
Singapore was expelled from Malaysia, the Malays in Singapore went
overnight from being part of a majority community in Malaysia (before 9 August 1965) to a
minority community in Singapore (from 9 August 1965 onward), according to Minister in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim[1].